Related papers: Primordial Nucleosynthesis
The products of primordial nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons are relics from the early evolution of the Universe whose observations probe the standard model of cosmology and provide windows on new physics…
A new evaluation of the constraint on the number of light neutrino species (N_nu) from big bang nucleosynthesis suggests a discrepancy between the predicted light element abundances and those inferred from observations, unless the inferred…
We present a parametrized study of the effects of free thermal neutron injection on primordial nucleosynthesis, where both the rate and the time scale of injection are varied. This generic approach is found to yield a successful solution…
The $^6$Li abundance observed in metal poor halo stars appears to exhibit a plateau as a function of metallicity similar to that for $^7$Li, suggesting a big bang origin. However, the inferred primordial abundance of $^6$Li is $\sim$1000…
There is continued interest in the possibility that big bang nucleosynthesis may produce significant quantities of Be and B. In this paper we reevaluate the primordial abundances taking into account uncertainties in reactions rates. We…
We update the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis calculations on the basis of the recent NACRE compilation. The average values of the calculated abundances of light nuclei do not differ significantly from that obtained using the previous Fowler's…
We study the big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) with the long-lived exotic particle, called X. If the lifetime of X is longer than \sim 0.1 sec, its decay may cause non-thermal nuclear reactions during or after the BBN, altering the predictions…
We examine the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) process in the presence of small-scale baryon inhomogeneities. Primordial abundance yields for D, He4, Li6, Li7, Be9, and B11 are computed for wide ranges of parameters characterizing the…
We calculate primordial abundances of light elements produced during big bang nucleosynthesis when the fine structure constant and/or the cosmic expansion rate take non-standard values. We compare them with the recent values of observed D,…
In the first thousand seconds of its evolution the Universe was a primordial nuclear reactor synthesizing the nuclides D, $^3$He, $^4$He and $^7$Li. These messengers from the Big Bang provide a unique window on the early, hot, dense…
Primordial nucleosynthesis remains as one of the pillars of modern cosmology. It is the testing ground upon which many cosmological models must ultimately rest. It is our only probe of the universe during the important radiation-dominated…
Recent determinations of the deuterium abundance, $^2$H/H, in high redshift Lyman limit hydrogen clouds challenge the usual picture of primordial nucleosynthesis based on \lq\lq concordance\rq\rq\ of the calculated light element ($^2$H,…
We examine Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) in the case of inhomogenous neutrino degeneracy, in the limit where the fluctuations are sufficiently small on large length scales that the present-day element abundances are homogeneous. We…
We explore the Gnedin-Ostriker suggestion that a post-Big-Bang photodissociation process may modify the primordial abundances of the light elements. We consider several specific models and discuss the general features that are necessary…
This is a transcript of the joint talk we gave at the Sixth Gruber Cosmology Conference at Yale University on 3 October 2025. We describe the key role played by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) in today's `Precision Cosmology', focusing in…
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the Cosmic Background Radiation (CBR) provide complementary probes of the early evolution of the Universe and of its particle content. Neutrinos play important roles in both cases, influencing the…
The lithium problem arises from the significant discrepancy between the primordial 7Li abundance as predicted by BBN theory and the WMAP baryon density, and the pre-Galactic lithium abundance inferred from observations of metal-poor…
Recent measurements of the D(p,$\gamma)^3$He, nuclear reaction cross-section and of the neutron lifetime, along with the reevaluation of the cosmological baryon abundance from cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis, call for an update…
Results of a detailed examination of the cascade nucleosynthesis resulting from the putative hadronic decay, evaporation, or annihilation of a primordial relic during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) era are presented. It is found that…
We review important reactions in the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) model involving a long-lived negatively charged massive particle, $X^-$, which is much heavier than nucleons. This model can explain the observed $^7$Li abundances of…